Why do selective colleges often accept applicants with lower test scores than many who are rejected? Is this fair?
Colleges and university admissions officers have never believed that test scores are anything like the sole (or even dominant) predictor of achievement in school or post-college accomplishments. Although such scores are helpful to admissions officers in determining who is capable of succeeding academically, they are of little help in predicting other desirable results of the admissions process, such as diversity of opinions or experiences in the classroom, or later life outcomes such as community leadership. At all selective schools, attention is paid to many other indicators of achievement and of potential, including hard-to-quantify characteristics such as determination and character. Most schools also give weight to considerations such as athletic ability, family ties to the school, and socioeconomic status.
